Ripon Christian's Tyler Goslinga goes through a Millennium defender on his way to two of his game-high 27 points Friday in Ripon.

JAGADA CHAMBERS/The Bulletin

RIPON – Millennium High looked as if it was up for the challenge, but a 22-7 run to open the second quarter provided Ripon Christian with all the cushion the Knights would need to win the opener of their own tournament, 77-63.

The Knights (6-1) continued with their remedy for success, pounding the ball inside to dominating post-presence Tyler Goslinga and feeding the lights-out perimeter shooting of Logan Vos and Daniel Van de Pol.

The two options left Millennium with a dilemma they were incapable of solving.

“We like to play a lot of in-and-out stuff, and when you have a 6-foot-8 center the outside shots get a little easier,” Vos said. “Our defense wasn’t all there tonight, so we had to make some adjustments and we were capable of doing that.”

Ripon Christian led 20-15 after the first period, but Millennium’s hottest scorer, Asad Khan, cooled off after the defensive adjustments and Vos, Van de Pol and Goslinga all got busy. The three players walked into halftime in double figures with Vos leading the way with 15.

The Knights did their best to keep Millennium stifled, keeping the lead in double-digits, but the Falcons were able to outscore Ripon Christian in the third period, prompting Knights head coach Ron Vander Molen to grab his team’s attention.

“Our defense is really going to have to step up,” Vander Molen said. “(Friday) I rated our offense a nine out of 10 and our defense a one out of 10. They were quicker than us, so we have to think quicker and know what positions we need to be in for our defense.”

Khan was the only Falcon in double figures, finishing with 27. Ripon Christian’s task won’t be any easier in the tournament title game as they prepare to face the Linden Lions and their 6-foot-7 big man Aaron Judge. Judge is averaging 17 points per game and the Knights’ success will depend on keeping Judge in check.

“Linden has a solid big man and we are going to have to shut him down,” Vos said. “We know that he is big and strong, so we are going to have to work hard to keep him off the boards and try and hold him to low scoring.”

Goslinga finished tied with Khan for game-high scoring honors with 27, while Van de Pol and Vos finished with 22 and 20, respectively. The championship is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. tipoff. Millennium will meet up with Central Catholic, which lost to Linden 37-34.

“I have high expectations,” Vander Molen said. “It doesn’t matter how many win or losses you have, you always want to get a little bit better. That is the fun part of coaching, seeing your team improve.

“We feel we’re in a pretty good place right now, but we have to keep working.”